Effect of osteogenesis imperfecta mutations in tropocollagen molecule on strength of biomimetic tropocollagen-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites

Abstract

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder that affects cellular synthesis of Type-I collagen fibrils and causes extreme bone fragility. This study reports the effects of OI mutations in Tropocollagen (TC) molecules on strength of model Tropocollagen-Hydroxyapatite biomaterials with two different mineral [hydroxyapatite (HAP)] distributions using three dimensional atomistic simulations. Results show that the effect of TC mutations on the strength of TC-HAP biomaterials is insignificant. Instead, change in mineral distribution showed significant impact on the overall strength of TC-HAP biomaterials. Study suggests that TC mutations manifest themselves by changing the mineral distribution during hydroxyapatite growth and nucleation period.